Welcome from Poker Alice!

Poker Alice Tubbs was a professional gambler who played her cards in boom towns throughout the wild west.

Her stories of risk, and reward reveal the gritty history of towns like Creede, Leadville, and Central City in Colorado, Silver City in New Mexico, and Sturgis and Deadwood in South Dakota.

A lot of tales that “ain’t entirely true” have been spread, but Alice’s real story is even better than the tall tales you might have read. Join me, Liz Duckworth, an author, researcher, re-enactor, and devoted fan, and see the real west through the eyes of a lady gambler.

Why This Site?

Gravesite of Poker Alice Tubbs in Sturgis, South Dakota, St. Aloysius Cemetery. She’s gone but not forgotten!

Poker Alice may have passed away in 1930, but she lives on in the lives of fans like me. I just love the true story of her life, and even lots of the not-so-true tales that have grown up around her legend.

If you are a fan or want to know more about her, keep visiting for new blogs and keep an eye out for a new book about the life of Poker Alice Tubbs. Filter Press will release Poker Alice Tubbs: the Straight Story later in 2018.

Anyone who is fascinated by the history of the Wild West will enjoy getting a detailed look at this lady gambler who played it her way—all across the West!

About Creede!

The landscapes on this site show stunning Willow Creek Canyon, just north of Creede, Colorado. Here, more than 120 years ago, walked Poker Alice Tubbs as she “made her stake” at the card tables of Creede’s casinos. She climbed the mile above Creede to win her hands in the aptly-named town of Bachelor, too.

I hope you get a chance to see this beautiful canyon, drive up Bachelor Loop, and visit the remains of once thriving silver mines.

If and when you visit the town of Creede, you’ll be welcome on streets of a lively and still entertaining place.

Eat some great food there, meet friendly locals, and see a show at the Creede Reperatory Theater.

Stop by the museum and say hi to folks from the Creede Historical Society!

They helped provide photos and information for this site and the soon-to-be-released book from Filter Press: Poker Alice Tubbs; the Straight Story by Liz Duckworth

Blog

Alice married George Huckert in 1918. The story goes that he was the caretaker for her ranch and she owed him money. He wanted to get hitched, and she figured it was cheaper to marry him than to pay him. I think that’s a somewhat tall tale. The couple stayed married until his death in …

Some Thoughts About My Birthday and Life February 17th is my birthday! Yep, it’s been 166 years since that lucky day. Or should that be 168 years? There’s a bit of a dispute about the year of my birth — 1851 or 1853, and honestly, it’s been so long now, I can’t tell you from here looking …

2019: Gambling on a New Year As this new year gets underway, it’s good to look at plans made a year ago. What played out and what went bust? The future is a gamble and you have to take a risk one way or the other if you hope to win. Poker Alice had faith …

Contact and Endorsements

Bring Poker Alice to talk to your group soon! You can choose any topic, such as:

A Gambling Woman in a Man’s World

The Wild West History of Your Region—told by Poker Alice

The True Tale of Poker Alice Tubbs

To learn more, send an email to: LizabethDuckworth@gmail.com.

We can customize a program that’s lively and perfect for your group. See a short video on YouTube and you’ll get a taste of the presentation: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta4Suq5HaQYwww.youtube.com/watch?v=ta4Suq5HaQY

Words of praise for this Poker Alice living history presentation:

“In working with Liz over the years it is obvious she is a master storyteller, who takes no shortcuts in bringing her characters to life. Through her countless hours of research she knows her characters inside and out and her talent for bringing those characters to life is evident the moment she steps onto the stage.” — Dianne Hartshorn, Blanches Place, I Love Colorado History

“Poker Alice is not only a character, but a darn fine character. Book her for your next group event!!” Don Moon, actor and historian, Theodore Roosevelt Presenter and Re-enactor

“”Thank you ‘Poker Alice’ for making history fun and interesting! A big thumbs-up! Liz gets into character and really knows her stuff! She is dressed as a younger Poker Alice, and toward the end she changes her hair to a white wig, a hat and shawl. She starts out holding a big stogie and 4 playing cards, all aces. She asks a person to pull a card and her story is built on the cards as they are pulled. She periodically drinks from a flask claiming it is lemonade. No stammering, no ‘I forgot to mention…” It is a real person that Liz is reenacting, most of the history is in Colorado and a couple places in South Dakota. She does a very good job and is very improvisational. This is a presentation you will want to see and experience!” — Judy K., member, Western Museum of Mining and Industry